Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., shared a thoughtful message to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, touting the nation for the "progress" made within the last five decades. Scott joined "America's Newsroom" to discuss the significance of the day and why the country should be focused on "opportunity" vs. "equity."

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY: 5 SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT THE CIVIL RIGHTS HERO

TIM SCOTT: Be very proud of your country, be even more proud of the progress that your country has made in the last 50 years. Think about the dream and the speech itself. He said all of God's children will one day join hands and sing with new meaning. My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty. We are living that part of the dream. Black people and white people today are joining hands and living the American dream. That is a blessing from God upon high. It is something that should encourage us to move into the future with hope and optimism and a resolve to continue to make progress on the dream. Here's what we need to be doing today. We should be talking about opportunity and not equity. We should be focusing our attention on the quality of the education in the poor zip codes in this country, because education is the civil rights issue of our era. In 2023, it's not the color of your skin it's how well you are educated that will make the difference in your life.

WATCH THE ENTIRE SEGMENT FROM "AMERICA'S NEWSROOM" BELOW:

Tim Scott's Martin Luther King Jr. Day message: We should be talking about opportunity, not equity

South Carolina Republican senator says education is the 'civil rights issue of our era'